Chicken Tractor / Chicken Raising

Changing my chicken raising setup and constructing a chicken tractor, going to chronicle the build here:

http://www.chickenforum.com/f16/chicken-tractor-build-thread-14/

Started on Tuesday and finished the rough frame out last night. Can't wait to work on it tonight, should be able to get a lot done with the coop portion.

Anyone else raise chickens?

This is one of those pens you move around the yard? If so how will you move it around? Will it be on wheels? A sled?

We have chickens in a 10x35' pen and when we are home they free range on our property. Biggest problem is something always wants to get at them. We recently lost 3 chicks in one night from a snake. Managed to get to them through a small crack in the door. I thought they were safe by now, who knew???

Good luck with the tractor! Luckily we live out in the sticks so our girls just stroll around the house.

There is a Chicken Forum?


Like a whole forum dedicated to raising chickens??????

And I thought a Chevy Cavalier forum and Ice Chewer forum was weird...

landshark said:

Ice Chewer forum

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Say what?

I just helped a fellow homebrewer (and a cute one at that, but sadly married) slaughter and butcher 50 chickens on Saturday. It was quite an experience.

She splits the costs with a local farmer, and he raises them. And once a year they butcher them up and have enough chicken for each family for a year. And all of us who help get to take chicken and carcases for stock.

My favorite part was watching the Farmer use the plucking machine.

Hey, that's awesome! I can't wait to start raising some on my own. I currently live in a studio apartment in the city, so I don't have the land for it. But as soon as we get married and get a house, I'll be buying some birds!

I do have some questions though, like I need to find where it's legal and such. Also what kind of birds should I get? What do they eat? How many forums do you admin for? AH SO MANY QUESTIONS!


Also How many birds do you have?

Edit: Wow, I've never seen a plucking machine. What are the pluckers on the main cylinder made of?

jgln said:

This is one of those pens you move around the yard? If so how will you move it around? Will it be on wheels? A sled?

We have chickens in a 10x35' pen and when we are home they free range on our property. Biggest problem is something always wants to get at them. We recently lost 3 chicks in one night from a snake. Managed to get to them through a small crack in the door. I thought they were safe by now, who knew???

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Yes you can move it around the yard to pick areas to graze. They free range but we wanted a coop for them at night to avoid the hawks, bobcats and coyotes.

landshark said:

There is a Chicken Forum?

Like a whole forum dedicated to raising chickens??????

And I thought a Chevy Cavalier forum and Ice Chewer forum was weird...

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I just threw one up to use kind of like a blog. I like the forum format better then blogs since people can share. I think there are massive ones out there.

Revvy said:

I just helped a fellow homebrewer (and a cute one at that, but sadly married)...

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Brother, I know you've been near the gates of hell this year, but perhaps you should re-evaluate your taste in women.

landshark said:

There is a Chicken Forum?


Like a whole forum dedicated to raising chickens??????

And I thought a Chevy Cavalier forum and Ice Chewer forum was weird...

Click to expand...

backyardchickens is a good Chicken forum too.

Surprised that beer didn't slide around on all that chicken goo.

GilaMinumBeer said:

Brother, I know you've been near the gates of hell this year, but perhaps you should re-evaluate your taste in women.

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Dude, a redhead who brews beer AND guts chickens, afaic IS the perfect woman.

Are those rubber fingers on that chicken plucker?

lol... say that 3 times really fast.

IXVolt said:

Are those rubber fingers on that chicken plucker?

lol... say that 3 times really fast.

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Yes. It's pretty triply.

Revvy said:

Dude, a redhead who brews beer AND guts chickens, afaic IS the perfect woman.

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Ah, I see now. Looked like gray hair under that hat. Probably just a bad pic of her.

passedpawn said:

Ah, I see now. Looked like gray hair under that hat. Probably just a bad pic of her.

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:rockin: asdfrg

I'm not going to post any pics of her from that day, since chicken butchering attire is not condusive to looking HAWT.

I'll post a pic of her with her husband and grandparents @ Terripinchef's wedding a year ago, that I did.

Finished the wheels tonight. Getting closer.

How many chicks does it hold?

Revvy said:

How many chicks does it hold?

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Should take that low rider cruising and find out!

What will be the end weight on that thing?

TxBrew said:

They free range but we wanted a coop for them at night to avoid the hawks, bobcats and coyotes.

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Do they go into the coop on their own at night or do you have to herd them in?

GulfCoastGirl said:

Do they go into the coop on their own at night or do you have to herd them in?

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Ours go in the coop on their own every night. Once in a while they will lay eggs somewhere else but almost always in the coop in the nests. Whenever they seem to stop laying it is time to start looking where they started a new nest. When they lay it is usually late morning, early afternoon.

I have no idea on the weight, it's heavy but I can move it by myself, tried tonight with the roof on which is final weight.

Chickens go in their coops at night themselves or at least the smart ones.